The Things He Holds Dear
by I hart Booth
Summary: Someone from Booth's past wants revenge, but to get to the toughasnails FBI agent...he'll have to go after the two things Booth holds most dear, rated T yeah, I guess it's BB
1. Small talk

**_So...here's my next fic...not much else to say here. I think disclaimers are useless. If I owned them...I would just write an episode, not a fic. lol._**

A young woman drove down an icy road, the first winter storm had just hit and the University was shut down for the day. She was looking forward to getting home a day early, she hadn't seen her parents since school had started and she decided she couldn't wait until thanksgiving to go home.

She reached into her purse for her cell phone with one gloved hand while the other steered her car. It only took that split second when she glanced away from the road for chaos to ensue.

A small boy on a sled slid out into the road at the same time as the garbage truck the girl was starting to accelerate past hit a patch of ice.

When she looked back at the road the truck was beginning to tip over in it's attempt to swerve away from the child, she jerked the wheel hard to the left. She immidiatly overcompensated for her sudden reaction and sent her car into a spin. On it's second turn around the girl's scream turned blood curdling when a human skeleton landed on her windshield. Then all went black.

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Temperance Brennen and Camille Saroyan got out of the truck, Brennen couldn't have been happier to be out in the open air again. Being alone with Cam was one of the most distressing experiences of her life and the ride over from the lab had been painful and not physically. They approached FBI agent Seeley Booth who stood with his hands on his hips directing the crime scene unit.

"Seeley." Cam said, the agent turned around and smiled, pulling his coat closer around him. Even though the snow had stopped the wind was still blowing and he had forgotten his gloves.

"This way ladies." He led the women, collection kits at their sides, toward the wrecked car, the whole front end smashed up against a tree causing it to be about half it's normal size.

"There was a car wreck early this morning. Looks to be an accident. Just wrong place at the wrong time." He pointed to the drivers side where the car door had been pried open. A pretty young woman with an orange coat and black hair hung limply out the door, held inside by her seatbelt.

Cam knelt next to the body. "Any other casualties?"

"No. A little kid and the driver of the dump truck are a little shook up but they'll live."

Brennen looked at the body and then at Booth. "Booth why am I here? These remains are fresh." She nodded at the body, keeping her hands in her pockets.

"No Bones, that body is for Cam. I got you your own since I know how much you hate to share." He smiled teasingly at her and led her to the other side of the car.

"That's more like it." Brennen muttered to herself and knelt down next to the remains and Booth watched her intently. She scanned the body carefully from head to toe, taking note of every detail. Even in the cold DC winter weather Brennen stared unblinking at her bones. He pulled himself out of his admiration and listened to Brennen make her preliminary anaylisis of the bones, jotting down quick notes and nodding when she paused.

"Caucasian. Female between her late twenties and mid thirties. She seems to…" Brennen stopped short.

"Bones?" Booth looked up at her, she wore a confused expression as she rocked on her haunches for a moment.

Then she leaned in closer to the body and inhaled deeply. Booth thought he would gag,

"Why would you do that Bones?!"

Brennen stood and started yelling orders. "I need these bones bagged now! Send them to the Jeffersonian ASAP!"

Booth followed Bones as she started to go back toward the trucks and she pulled out her cell phone. "Zack, I'm having some bones sent in take samples of all organic material, have Hodgins take pictures and start cleaning the bones as soon as possible."

"Bones are you gonna tell me what's going on?"

She whirled around and almost ran into Booth. "The bones were saturated in some sort of decomposing agent, I'm guessing bleech or lye. It was to make the body decompose faster, those Bones are less than a week old but as long as they go uncleaned the chemical will continue to eat away at them and we'll lose more evidence." She thrust her hand out toward the scene.

Booth started to say something when there was a high pitched voice behind them.

"Daddy can we go? Hi bones!" Parker hung out the passenger side window of Booth's SUV waving his mittened hand at the pair.

"Parker roll the window up, I'll be over in a second." Booth called to his four-year-old son, who, noticing the seriousness in his father's tone, immediately obeyed.

"You brought Parker with you?" Brennen furrowed her brows, it seemed a bit strange to bring a child to a crime scene.

"Yea, his mom's out of town for the week so he's been with me. I was taking him to school when I got the call so we swung over here." He looked at his watch and cursed. "He's gonna be late, I've gotta go can you handle this?"

"Yea, I've got it. We're all set up here now. We'll be back at the lab." Brennen turned toward the truck where Cam was waiting. The pathologist hadn't found anything interesting on the girl. Just a typical accident victim, she felt bad for whoever had to inform the family though.

"Oh, hey Bones, I forgot." Booth jogged up to Brennen and took her by the shoulder and turned her to face him. "Can you do me a favor?"

Brennen narrowed her eyes at him. "What kind of favor?"

Booth noticed the way the wind was making her cheeks redder than usual and fought to keep his hand from cupping and warming her cheek.

"The Head Honchos have set up a training on night surveillance from six tonight until six tomorrow morning. It's mandatory attendence, so I was wondering if you could watch Parker for me."

Brennen moved her lips from side to side as she mulled it over and then glanced at Parker, who was dragging his face up and down on the window, making his nose look long like an old man, and then short like a pigs snout. She laughed and Booth looked over at his son.

"Aww Parker! Cut it out." But he was smiling too, then turned back to her.

"Please Bones?"

Brennen sighed. "Okay."

"Great! You're the best. I'll drop him off tonight at around five and then you can take him to school tomorrow."

"Sounds good." She headed back to the car and smiled when she heard Booth saying something about Parker getting his 'nose prints on the window'.

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The silence in the car was deafening, but Dr. Brennen didn't mind. She was trying to think of what she would do with Parker that evening. An idea had just hit her when Cam started talking.

"What?" Brennen blinked at her boss.

"I said 'have you always been interested in science'?" Cam glanced at the woman beside her in the passenger seat. She'd pulled rank on her to gain the keys, and she knew Brennen was none to thrilled about it, so she was trying to make peace.

"Um, yes. Ever since I was a child." Brennen furrowed her brows trying to figure out why Dr. Saroyan wanted to know that. "Why do you ask?"

"Curiosity Dr. Brennen. I was making small talk."

"Oh." Brennen had never liked small talk. Not only was it pointless but she was never very good at it. "Um, have you always been interested in…dead people?"

Cam cleared her throat. "No. I've always been interested in human anatomy. I just kind of fell into the whole coroners gig."

"Oh." Brennen shrugged and looked out the window and they finished they're drive back to the lab in a silence both women were thankful for.

**_I'll be you're best friend if you hit the button...please??_**


	2. Brennen and the boy

**_I'm going to be online late tonight, so I decided to post another chap..._**

Brennen swiped her key card and entered the lab area where Zack and Hodgins were working furiously over the bones that had just arrived. Cam mumbled something about 'reports' and headed in the opposite direction.

"Zack?" Brennen asked, pulling on her lab coat.

"Yes Dr. Brennen we're collecting the last of the samples now." With that he handed a few tubes to Hodgins and began loading the bones into a bucket so he could take them to be cleaned.

Hodgins peered into one of the tubes. "I'm the luckiest boy in the world." He grinned at his boss, who was not as amused and he quickly shifted to professional mode.

"She was blonde." He said.

"How do you know, most of the organic material was stripped by the chemicals." Brennen responded, taking the sample baggie Hodgins was thrusting out toward her.

"See for yourself. A few hairs were somehow protected from damage. They're blonde."

"DNA?"

"Nope, skin tags weren't there, but I've got enough organics here if I can separate it from the other stuff. Seem to be some fibers and white flecks of some kind." He walked over to a microscope and quickly glanced at it. "Yea, I'm gonna need a few hours but I should be able to identify it.'

Brennen nodded and headed toward her office. Since Zack and Hodgins were both busy she figured she'd get a head start on the next few chapters of her book.

Brennen was not aware of how much time had passes when there was a knock at her doorframe.

"Hey, Bren, I'm going out to lunch, want anything?" Angela leaned against the door and waited for her friend to tear her eyes from the computer screen long enough to answer her.

"Um, no thanks Ange, I'm not hungry."

"You're not hungry or you already have plans with our favorite chunk o' hunk FBI agent?" Angela leaned on Brennen's desk and smiled knowingly. But apparently, Brennen didn't know.

"What? No, I'm not hungry. Booth and I only eat together to discuss cases." _Or when he thinks I've gone to long without eating. As if anyone asked him_, brennen thought, slightly irritated even though she knew if it weren't for Booth she would be doing well to eat two square meals a day.

"Fine, play dumb Bren, I can take a hint." Angela straightened up to leave, "You sure you don't want anything?"

Brennen nodded, already trying to get back to her work. Another couple of hours had gone by, unbeknownst to the scientist, when there was another knock at the door.

"Dr. Brennen, the bones are clean and ready to be examined." Zack stood carefully in the doorway, he didn't like to go into Dr. Brennen's office. He felt small enough as it was on neutral territory in the lab. But, go into her office? No way his fragile little infatuated heart could take that.

"Okay Zack." Brennen said, standing and streaching. She was surprised at how stiff her muscles felt. _How long have I been in here?_ she wonderedd as she put on her lab coat, not bothering to check the time.

She met Zack at one of the examination tables and was immidiatly at ease. Clean bones were so much easier to deal with than partially decayed ones.

"So Zack, what do you see?"

Zack scanned the bones for anything he could see. "Caucasian female in her late twenties to early thirties. A professionally set break in the lower fibula, looks to have occurred in early childhood. Marks on the pelvic bone indicate she has given birth and a skull fracture in the frontal bone seems to be the cause of death."

Nodding Brennen picked up the skull and looked closer at the fracture. "Look at this Zack." She put the skull under a microscope and zoomed in on the fractured area. "Do you see this?" She pointed to the compueter screen were the magnification was being displayed.

"Foreign matter in the skull fracture. Probably embedded in the skull from whatever killed her."

"Yes Zack, take a sample and get it to Hodgins, he found something very similar in the samples you took from the bones."

Zack nodded and hurriedly started the task. It was then that Brennen looked up and spotted the clock.

"Oh, crap!"

"What's the matter sweetie?" Angela asked, joining her friend on the platform.

"I just noticed the time. It's quarter to five, Booth will be at my apartment any minute. Zack!" Brennen talked rapidly as she whipped her coat off and jogged to her office to grab her things. Anglea followed her close behind.

"Yes Dr. Brennen?"

"Zack, finish with that sample and then give the skull to Angela. Ange I need you to put a face on it and then get with Zack to figure out what caused that skull fracture." Brennen rushed toward the door. "Oh, and Zack, take a mold and run dental records while Angela is reconstructing the face."

Zack nodded and went to retrieve the skull.

"Bye Bren, call me!"

"See you tomarrow."

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Brennen raced home and immidiatly started childproofing her apartment. She placed everything breakable at least three feet off the ground, everything valuble in a cabinet over the refrigerator and anything she thought Parker would find interesting and not easily broken in the guest room. She was not surprised, however, when the last group was considerably smaller than the first two.

At five o'clock on the dot there was a knock at the door. And when Brennen opened it a small person rushed past her, knocking her off balance.

Booth reached out to steady her and called after his son, "Parker! Say 'excuse me'."

"Excuse me!" Parker shouted over his shoulder as he ran to the bathroom and slammed the door.

Booth smiled to Brennen apologetically. "Sorry, he forgot to go before we left the house."

"Go where?" Brennen tilted her head to the side and Booth rolled his eyes.

"Nevermind Bones." He suddenly realized his hand was still holding her elbow and quickly withdrew it and held out Parker's Spiderman backpack.

"You can come in if you like." She said, taking the bag.

"No, that's okay, I've really got to go, but there's his toothbrush and toothpaste, pajamas, clean clothes for tomorrow, his favorite books and some toys. I was going to have him bring his favorite movie but then I remembered you don't have a TV."

"Wow Booth, I'm impressed very well prepared." Brennen teased Booth. "You do that all by yourself?"

"Ha ha Bones. I'm his father I know how to pack for an overnight visit." He leaned further in the door. "Parker! I've got to go buddy, you be for Doctor Brennen okay?"

"Okay Daddy. I will. I love you!" Parker's muffled voice came from the bathroom.

"Love you too son." Booth called and looked at Bones again, he could tell she was annoyed he had been yelling. "Look Bones, I really appreciate this. I'll make it up to you okay?" Booth walked down the hall toward the elevator.

"Yea. You will." She replied, leaning against the doorframe and watching him leave. Booth gave her one last charm smile, and the doors shut between them.

The sound of a toilet being flushed resonated through the apartment as Brennen closed the door. She watched curiously as Parker come out of the bathroom, minus the coat, hat, mittens and scarf he had gone in there with.

"What happened to your clothes?"

Parker looked down. 'I'm wearing them."

Brennen just shook her head and went to the bathroom to retrieve the winter outerwear and put them in the guest room along with his backpack. "Parker take off you're wet boots and put them by the door." She called out to him.

When she came back out Parker was barefoot and padding around the kitchen.

"I'm hungry." He looked up at her with big brown eyes. Very familiar looking eyes.

She picked him up and placed him on the counter. "Nice to meet you Hungry, I'm Tempe."

Parker giggled. "My daddy says that too."

Brennen smile and started rummaging through the cupboards. "Parker have you ever had breakfast for dinner?"

Parker furrowed his brows in a thoughtful way that reminded her of his father. "No, I'm pretty sure I always have dinner for dinner."

"Well then today is you're lucky day. How would you like pancakes, eggs and bacon for dinner?"

Parker's face brightened. "Oh! Yea, can I help?"

"Of course." She got him a stepstool so he could reach the counter easily. How hard could it be? He was four, not an ape.

**_R&R is good for the soul!_**


	3. Worst Fear

**_Thank you for all the comments and constructive criticism. You guys make my day!_**

No, not an ape, but the evening had definitely not gone the way she had planned.

Brennen cracked a smile as she watched Parker's breathing become even and deep and then shut the guest bedroom door. She closed her eyes, gathering her strength to enter the disaster area of her kitchen and take on hours of cleaning ahead of her.

Things had started off fine, Parker helped her crack some eggs and she poured the pancake mix into a bowl and added milk. Then when he was making wild gestures at her,trying to tell her about the jungle gym at school, his chubby ittle left hand landed smack-dab in the middle of the bowl, splashing batter on both of them.

That wasn't such a big deal, until he tried to clean it up and ended up knocking the bowl off the counter.In order to prevent the glass bowl from shattering on the floor, Brennen caught it...and in the process dumped the batter all down the front of her shirt, covering Parker's blonde mop of hair as well.

Her face was red with suppressed laughter, and Parker was worried he'd made her angry. When she broke out an easy smile, however, he relaxed. She'd gotten out a rag, knelt down to his level and carefully wiped Parker's face but allowed the batter to remain undisturbed in his hair.

"I'm sorry. I'll help clean up." He started to reach for the sponge on the sink and Brennen's eyes widened in horror.

"No!" She said, a bit too forcefully.

Parker stared up at her, his chin starting to quiver._ Oh crap, don't cry!_

Quickley she lifted Parker back onto the counter.

"Parker," She said gently, "You want to hear a story?"

Parker took a ragged breath and nodded, as the batter started to harden in his hair and on Brennen's shirt.

"When I was very young, probably six or seven, my brother and I decided to bake a cake for our parent's anniversary. Russ mixed the dry things while I insisted on getting the eggs and milk. But it didn't work out so well. First, the milk jug was too heavy for me and I dropped it in the bowl, spilling the ingredients everywhere. Then on the way to the counter from the refrigerator, with my hands full of eggs, I tripped . I accidently threw them and some landed on the floor and cabinets, and couple fell right under me and were squished into my favorite pajamas. So, do you know what happened?"

"You got in trouble?" He ventured shakily.

Brennen shook her head and gently wiped a few tears from Parker's cheeks. "Nope. My mother told me that that's why God made sponges and washing machines and that she didn't really like cake anyway."

Parker grinned and reached out, wrapping his arms around Brennen's neck and smearing batter everyhwere.

She hesitated only for a moment before hugging him back and after a few seconds pulled away.

"Now what do you say to some toast and eggs instead?"

Parker nodded and they were eating within minutes. Then Brennen decided to ignore the butter and jelly smears all over her counters and floors and went to draw Parker a bath. The batter came out of his hair easily when wet and by the end of the bath it was nearing eight and he couldn't seem to keep his eyes open, so she tucked him in bed.

Brennen stood with her hands on her hips looking at the kitchen, suprised that she didn't feel more upset at it's deplorable condition. She'd already changed her shirt and was about to start cleaning when there was a knock at the door.

_I wonder who that could be..._

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The next morning Cam was walking through the lab on the way to her office when she noticed her resident artist sitting on the steps, staring at the floor.

"Angela? Everything okay?" She asked, approaching her.

Angela looked up, her face a ghostly shade of white.

"Um…I don't know, but I finished the facial reconstruction." And she got up , leading the way to the Angelator without waiting for a response from Cam.

"Listen I've checked this several times, and it keeps coming out the same way." She picked up her tablet and the room glowed yellow as the 3D image appeared.

Cam's pupils dilated. "Oh God."

Angela just nodded.

"You're sure this is right?"

"Positive. I've checked everything three times. This is the face that goes to that skull." Angela just shook her head as she looked again at the face in the Angelator. She'd only met the person once, but she'd immediatly recognized the face when the reconstruction was finished.

"Dental records confirm it." Zack appeared at the door holding a piece of paper.

Cam walked over to him and took the sheet, skimming it quickly.

"Has anyone told Booth?"

Angela and Zack exchanged glances.

"Well, usually that would be Dr.Brennen's area, but she hasn't come in yet." Zack said finally.

Angela studied Cam, she seemed a little pale.

"I can do it if you'd like, Cam." She didn't want to, but she could.

Cam just shook her head. _I should be the one to tell him_

Just then there a familiar dinging noise sounded and they looked up to see Booth enter the plat formed lab area.

"Bones? Squints? Where is everybody?" He called, turning around until he saw Angela, Zack and Cam approaching from below.

"Hey guys," he jogged down the steps rubbing his hands expectantly, "What do ya got for me?" His good natured smile quickly faded though, when he noticed the solemn expression on their faces.

"What's wrong guys? Somebody die?" he winced, "Sorry, bad joke."

"Seeley." Cam began carefully, "We've identified the body."

"Well? Who is it?" He reached out for the paper Cam was holding and scanned it. His eyes stopped on the name and his mouth went dry. He looked up at Angela, shock plainly evident on his face. "You're sure?"

The artist nodded slowly.

"I'm so sorry Booth. It's Rebecca."

Booth looked back at the paper and furrowed his brows. _But she's supposed to be in Virginia with friends._

Booth pulled out his cell phone and looked up, greeted by Rebecca's floating head still displayed in the Angelator.

"Angela would you turn that off?" Booth asked sharply, then turned away, his phone at his ear calling the number Rebecca had left for him.

"Is Bones here?" He threw over his shoulder as he headed for the doors.

"No, she never came in." Cam responded to Booth's receding back. As the phone picked up he thought to himself, T_hat's weird. Bones should already be in today._

"Hello?"

"Susan? It's Seeley."

"Rebecca's Seeley? How're you?"

He grimaced when she used his name as a possessive of Rebecca. He hadn't been Rebecca's Seeley for a long time.

"Fine. Do you know where Rebecca is?"

"Uh, no, she was here last Monday but left early Tuesday to spend the rest of the week in the city. She and Sharon had a falling out , I swear those two still act like kids in high school."

"Uh – huh. So the last time you saw her was…?"

"It was Tuesday morning Seeley, why?" The oblivious woman was suddenly aware of how serious the agent's voice was.

Booth stopped outside the Jeffersonian on the steps. He'd been practically running out to his car, although he didn't know where he was planning to go once he got there.

"Susan," Booth began gently, "Rebecca is…she is dead."

"Oh God."

He took a deep breath and climbed into his SUV. "I've got to go. Call me if you remember anything else."

Booth hung up and closed his eyes waiting for his heartbeat to come back down.

_What am I going to say to Parker?_

His eyes popped open. _Parker!_ _If Bones didn't make it to the lab, where is Parker?_

He pulled out his phone again and pushed a button to speed dial the school. He asked if Parker was in class. His stomach churned when they replied he'd been marked absent for the day.

He hung up and dialed Brennen. He inhaled and exhaled with each ring. When it went to voice mail he cursed loudly, threw the car in gear and sped out of the parking lot in the direction of Brennen's apartment.

**_Hit the button, hit the button, hit the button..._**


	4. Remember to Breathe

**_For clarification's purposes, Booth's POV is in "present tense" while Brennen's is the night before, a few hours delayed. It will even out as we go along...Does that make sense? _**

Booth banged on Bones' apartment door one more time but didn't expect an answer, there hadn't been the last three times. After a few more seconds he got her spare key from under the doormat and let himself in. The sight that greeted him when he opened the door nearly knocked him over and he grabbed hold of the doorframe for support.

Brennen's apartment was trashed. There in the living room papers were strewn about and the furniture had been moved, some of the smaller tables were flipped over. Booth felt himself get a little light headed when he realized the condition of the apartment meant there had been a struggle of some sort.

_Parker._ His son's name flashed in his mind and he ran back to the guest room where Parker was supposed to be staying. When he got there he saw that the covers were messed up, but the bed was empty. Parker's bag was open and on the floor, his toys strewn about. But Parker was nowhere to be seen.

Booth pushed the panic rising in his chest away and rushed back out to the kitchen and found a slightly more domestic mess. Crumbs, butter, jelly and eggs were everywhere, he almost smiled thinking of Bones and Parker cooking together, and then something caught his attention. He saw the note on the counter, and picked it up without thinking.

**The woman and child are not dead…yet. If you want to find them, watch the tape, but do not involve the police. You're the only cop on this one Agent Booth.**

Something inside him broke.

"No!!" Booth screamed as his legs gave way and he slid to the kitchen floor, leaning his head back against Brennen's cabinets.

"No. Not Parker. Not Bones. No..." He repeated over and over gritted teeth, his knuckles white as he gripped the paper. He closed his eyes for a second and stopped talking so he could breathe. He found the silence his voice had left impossible to bear. Cradling his head in his hands he tried to think and felt a tightness in his chest. He became aware that his hands were shaking. Shaking with panic and rage.

He had to calm down. He had to think. _C'mon Seeley. C'mon. They're out there somewhere. If you want to find them you have got to clear your head and follow the clues._ The rage still burned in his chest, but at least he could breathe again.

He took one more deep breath and stood slapping on a pair of latex gloves he always had but seldom wore and picked up the videotape, walking toward the living room. It was then that he remembered Brennen did not have a TV.

He resisted the urge to throw the video through the window gritted his teeth as he turned toward the door. He saw a broken lamp on the floor and a pool of blood very near it. The thought that it could belong to either Bones or Parker hit him like a semi truck and he ran back to the sink before he vomited.

Another few minutes and he was running down the stairs toward his car, wondering what he would do next. He couldn't call in the break in or go back to his office because of what the note said. No cops.

His apartment was twenty minutes away, but it would take about half that time to get to the lab. He glanced at his watch. It was noon, hopefully, all the squints would be at lunch.

Booth pulled a U-turn and headed back in the direction he had come.

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Temprance's eyelids were heavy and faugt to stay close and her head felt like she'd slammed it in a car door. She tried again to open her eyes and realized that it was pitch black dark, that's why it was so disorienting. Then there was a stream of light that passed over the darkness and she began to become aware of her surroundings.

I'm in a car. No, a truck or van. Brennen started to sit up and realized her hands were tied behind her back and her feet were bound as well. Another stream of light passed and she saw the small space seemed completely empty except for the toolbox next to her.

Brennen squinted in the darkness and saw the small body across from her.

"Parker." She whispered, but the child did not move. She scooted nearer to him and laid her head down on his chest. He was warm and breathing, still in his footie dinosaur pajamas.

Sitting back up she became aware of a sweet, almost minty taste at the back of her mouth. It was then that the events of the passed few hours began to return to her.

She'd just put Parker to bed, and there was a knock at the door. Then…then…Brennen closed her eyes, trying to think harder. She remembered struggling. Kicking someone, fighting them. She was winning, she thinks triumphantly, but then Parker…

Parker had heard the noise, came out of his room. She screamed at him to run, but he was scared, he didn't move right away. One of the attackers got to him and placed a white cloth over his face, his little body succumbed to the effects of chloroform quickly. Then she thought she actually remembered seeing stars and then black. Nothing.

"Damn." She wriggled her hands, but the ropes were tight, she wasn't going to be able to get out. She noticed Parker was not tied. Her attackers, whoever they were, figured that since he was a child he would be easy to control.

_Maybe I can use that misjudgment to my advantage…_ Was the last thing she thought, when she felt the van come to a stop. Then a sudden influx of adrenaline took away everything logical. And she had only one thought, one primal urge.

Fight.

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Booth stepped carefully into Angela's office, thrilled that it seemed all the squints had gone out to lunch. He shut the door behind him, walked toward the desk and placed the video on it.

Then Booth's head snapped upward. He could have sworn he just heard something. Instinctively he pulled his gun and started toward the sound. Just then Angela rounded from behind a bookcase and stopped dead.

"Booth what the…?" She pulled her headphones out of her ears and held her hands up. "I'm unarmed." She meant it as a joke but stopped when she saw the anger etched into her friend's features.

"What's the matter?"

Booth quickly replaced his gun and fumbled for an answer that would make Angela go away. "Um…just a little jumpy, that's all. I…uh…didn't get much sleep last night."

He should have known Angela was way too perceptive to be thrown off by that pathetic answer.

"Well that may be true but that's not the whole story is it?" She crossed her office toward him and was surprised that, even through his large wool dress coat, she could tell how tense his body was.

Booth did nothing to deflect her stares, for some reason his brain seemed to be on pause. All he could think was that he needed to watch that video.

As if reading his thoughts Angela glanced at the table and saw it.

"What's that?" She reached out to grab it but Booth caught her arm.

"Don't. I need it." He was riding on the hope that there would be fingerprints on the video that he could lift immediately after watching it.

"Booth I'm not going to break it. I just want to look at it is all." But Booth still did not release his firm hold on her arm. She studied his face. It was more than just anger she saw in those intense brown eyes. It was fear. "Booth you need to tell me what's going on."

Booth stared at her for a minute, released her and knew she was right. His brain was already functioning below normal. No way could he go this alone.

He breathed and sat down at the desk, carefully taking out the tape and putting it in the player. "I went to Bones' apartment. It looks like someone broke in. Both she and Parker are missing." His face was set in stone, but he felt guilty for not being more supportive to Angela, who'd just lost all feeling in her legs and collapsed into the chair beside him.

Before either of them could speak the screen filled with Brennen's apartment number. There was the sound of a knock and Brennen's face appeared peaking through a crack in the door.

"Are you Temperance Brennen?" An unidentified voice asked. She answered in the affirmative and stared suspiciously at three men. Booth could see two of them at edges of the screen and guessed there was one more holding the camera.

A few more meaningless questions were heard and Booth and Angela watched Brennen's face get more and more suspicious. Just as she moved to shut the door the two dark figures launched themselves at it and it burst open, knocking her into the couch.

The next few seconds looked like a pirated version of a Jackie Chan movie as Brennen began kicking and punching, often connecting with a body that would let out a groan.

Booth's heart twisted, cursing himself for not being there when she needed him, although he had to admit, she was doing okay. Furniture and tables were being disrupted and moved about but she was keeping the two men at bay, while the third holding the camera at a distance narrated quietly.

"Oh, she is a feisty one. I see why you like her Agent Booth." Booth's face tightened at the sound of his name coming from the unknown assailent. "It's too bad it's all in vain. Oh, what's this?"

The camera turned and a sleepy looking Parker stood at the end of the hallway. Booth stifled a cry. _Parker!_

"Get the boy!" the voice yelled to the men.

"Run Parker!"

Angela gasped at the sound of Brennen's panicky voice comng through the speakers. One of the black clad men entered the frame, snatching up the child and placing a white cloth over his face. His little hands and feet stopped struggling after a few seconds and Parker's body went limp.

Then there was a crashing sound and the camera turned back to where the struggle had been carrying on and Brennen lay unconscious on the floor, her head bleeding and the broken lamp lay nearby.

"Well Agent Booth, I told you it was in vain. The camera shook as the person walked toward the other man who held Parker's limp body. "Oh, he looks peaceful doesn't he? And the spitting image of you Agent Booth." The camera turned and showed the mans lips and chin. "Now, if you ever want to see Dr. Brennen and Parker again you will go back to your apartment to await further instructions and you will _not_ call the police."

The screen went black. Booth became aware of Angela crying softly next to him and he reached over and squeezed her forearm, never taking his eyes off the blank screen.

Angela looked at him and actually suddered at what she saw in his face. His nostrils flared, his eyes glazed over. His face was beet red and she could see him tensing and relaxing his jaw muscles a few times each breath. He looked frightning.

"Booth? What were we going to do?" She asked quietly.

He clasped his hands and leaned forward. "Some bastard kidnapped Bones and Parker, Angela. Someone is going to have to pay for that." He turned to look her in the eye for the first time. "And by pay, I mean die."

**_You know what I'm gonna say..._**


	5. Missing

**_Here is the next chapter, it's all Booth's POV, more to come from Brennen later. _**

Brennen put her hand on Booth's chest, leaned in close and kissed him. Hard. Just as she started to pull away a few seconds later, Booth smiled, took her by the arms and pulled her in again. His heart was racing, her hands were shaking, but neither even thought of stopping.

Booth pushed Brennen up against her apartment door and gently began to chase her lips again as she wrapped her arms around his neck. His fingers were delicately inching up her spine and hers tingled as they caressed his neck. The kisses became more passionate and hungry, as if neither could wait any longer. This was right. They were sure of it. And then…

Then Booth's nodding head shot up in the darkness, his eyes darting around, trying to orient himself.

He was in his apartment, it was a little after nine, and moonlight poured in from outside. Booth groaned and put his head in his hands. The kidnappers still hadn't called him. He'd called in sick to Cullen, who didn't question it judging by the sound of his haggard voice. The squints weren't cops, so Booth had agreed to letting them help, as long as they were careful and didn't say anything to anyone aobut what they were working on. They had been at the lab working on Parker and Bones' case all day with no leads so far.

Bones.

Booth's eyes whipped open as he remembered the dream he had just been having and the distinct feeling that Bones was in the room haunted him. He licked his lips, his heart still beat a thousand times a second. It felt so real. So oddly right. But why had he been dreaming about her? And why had he been dreaming about her like that? Whatever the reason, he almost wished he hadn't woken up.

Booth went to his refrigerator and retrieved another beer, but he didn't open it right away. For some reason his thoughts had become clearer from a day spent pacing his living room floor.

He knew why he was dreaming about Brennen in that way. He'd been in situations like these before. When there's a gun pointed at your head, things have a way of coming into stunning clarity. And when there's a gun pointed at someone you deeply care about, feelings you'd long suppressed have a way of surfacing.

He leaned against the counter and looked hard at the bottle. Brennen's hungry face entered his mind one last time before he shook it out. He glanced to his right, a smiling picture of he and Bones and Parker at one of his son's soccer games stared him in the face.

His took the picture into his hands. _No,_ he thought, _I have to stay rational. Like Bones would be. I can't allow my feelings for her, whatever they are, to cloud my mind. They need me._

He set the beer on the counter. He needed a clear head.

_I cant help those I love if I am daydreaming and drunk_.

And without realizing it, the word was out there. Love.

Yes he loved Bones. As a sister, a friend, a partner or a girlfriend, he didn't know. But he loved her, and he couldn't lose her without her knowing it.

"Dammit." Booth slammed his fist on the counter.

_Why wasn't I there? When Parker and Bones needed me? Why wasn't I there for them?_

Before he could berate himself anymore his cell phone rang. He dashed across the room, hoping it was Angela with some more information. He knew there had been no prints on the video and no faces on the tape. But maybe Zack had identified those specks found in Rebecca's skull. Or maybe Hodgins had gotten something else from the samples. Maybe…

Booth picked up his phone and his chest locked up. The caller ID said 'blocked call', and he knew who it would be when he answered.

"Where are they?" He growled into the receiver.

"Agent Booth, good evening to you too." The same creepily calm voice as had been on the video now spoke live in Booth's ear.

"Who are you?"

"The man with the power Agent Booth."

"I swear if anything happens to them I'll find you and I'll kill you." He said each word deliberately, not allowing even a hint of the emotions warring inside him to penetrate his voice. Not allowing for any doubt that he would do what he said.

"Agent Booth." The voice suddenly turned hostile, "If you ever want to see your son and the doctor alive again I suggest you choose your words a bit more carefully."

Booth gritted his teeth and took a deep breath. "Fine. What do you want from me?"

"So many questions," The sharpness was gone from the voice again. "But I will only tell you this, you may call me 'Boss', and there is a package for you outside your door."

Booth went to the door and opened it, there was a brown paper bag and inside, another tape. Booth's breath caught in his throat. Did he really want to see what was on that tape?

"I want to speak to them."

There was silence on the other end as Boss mulled over the Booth's request.

"No, I won't do that. But I can assure you that they are not dead Agent Booth. It wouldn't make any sense to kill them now, they are my only leverage against you. Watch the tape, all will be revealed in due time."

Booth heard a dial tone, flipped his phone shut and threw it at the wall, where it smashed to peices and knocked a few pictures to the ground. He took another deep breath, ran his fingers through his hair for maybe the millionth time that day, and pushed the tape into his VCR.

**_Button Pushers UNITE!_**


	6. Curse you, Booth

**_I wasn't going to update again so soon...but I really wanted to. lol._**

Angela sighed deeply for the third time in five minutes. Hodgins looked up from his microscope at her.

"You okay?" He gave her a small reassuring smile.

She didn't want it.

"No. Hodgins I'm not okay. Brennen and Parker are kidnapped and we can't do a damn thing about it. How would I be okay?" She stood and walked a few feet away to lean on the metal banister and regain her composure.

Hodgins stared at her back, then slowly walked around the table and took her by the arm.

"Hey." He moved his head into her gaze and she looked at him. "We're doing everything we can. We're gonna get them back. Alive."

Tears stood threateningly in her eyes, but she nodded. "Okay. I know. I'm sorry."

He shook his head and hugged her for a minute as she swallowed her tears and caught her breath.

"Uh, guys?" Zack walked up from another part of the lab, feeling akward for interrupting an intimate moment. "I know what the unidentified flecks in the samples and the victims' skull are."

Hodgins and Angela followed him to a nearby microscope with the white flakes displayed on a computer screen.

"There are titanium dioxide, petroleum mineral spirits, calcium carbonate and lead oxide."

"Paint?"

"Yes, but more importantly lead paint."

"Lead paint? So like she was in an old house with lead paint on the walls?" Angela ventured

"Yes, and since we concluded that the skull fractures came from the head being smashed up against a hard vertical surface, I'm going to postulate that it was a wall, in order to get these flakes in the skull fractures." Zack pointed at the screen and looked from one face to another.

No one was able to say anything before Cam walked up behind them.

"Anything guys?"

Zach quickly updated her on what he'd discovered.

"Well then we should try and figure out what houses have this paint right? I'll let Booth know I mean if this is where Rebecca died, then it's probably where Dr. Brennen and Parker are being held." She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket to dial Booth.

"If the two cases are even related." Zack said skeptically.

"Well, Zack, that's the way Booth wants to play it so that's what we're going to do. Right now these are the only clues we have so we have to run with them." Cam turned away as Booth's cell phone rang.

Hodgins nodded. "Well I've identified two separate donors in the samples of bio-matter we took, one is some sort of fiber and the other is looks to be a mix of diatamatious earth often found in residential areas. I'll be able to tell you more in a few hours."

After exchanging a few more nervous glances, everyone went their separate ways trying stay awake, alert and calm.

---------------------------------

Brennen was awakened by cold water in her face. She lifted her heavy head and tried to look around. Her head was throbbing, but she was aware of herself.

Her hands were still tied behind her back, but now she was in a chair. She tasted caked blood on her lips and felt anger burn insider stomach as she remembered how it got there. She'd tried to give them hell when they went to unload her from the truck and found that all it served to do was make her attackers angrier, and she was bound too tightly to really make a decent go of it anyway.

The small dark room's only light shone from a small bulb in the ceiling and a tiny window up high on the far wall where she could see snow falling. She looked back in the direction of where the water had come and the same two dark figures who'd attacked her in her apartment stood near the only door.

They disgusted her. She hadn't been awake much in the past few hours, but enough to know that they followed the orders of the third man unquestionably. He said jump and they begged to know how high. They didn't have minds of their own.

She became aware of a presence behind her and she whipped her head around fast to see who it was. Too fast, causing her to be dizzy and waver a little in the chair.

It was the third man, the strange one with the video camera. He stood smiling down at her, it was the first time she'd seen his face. He wore a goatee, cold blue eyes and a huge nasty looking scar that stretched from his right ear to the cornr of his lips.

"Glad you could join us Dr. Brennen."

She could feel her teeth chattering from the cold air in the room combined with the cold water now soaking her face and shirt.

"Who are you?" She asked defiantly.

"That doesn't matter. To you anyway. You are merely a bargaining chip, a means for me to get what I really want. Between you and that kid," He nodded toward the corner where Parker sat hugging his knees, looking at her with big teary eyes. "Agent Booth will do anything I tell him to."

"And what is that?" She studied him, she knew the longer he was kept talking the longer she'd stay alive. She was going to milk it for all it was worth.

Boss just chuckled and stood straight up, raising his hand to hit her. Brennen flinched, awaiting the blow, but it didin't come through. She opened her eyes and looked up to see his dark smiling face.

Brennen's stomach lurched. Now h knew she was scared and she could fear her confidence slipping away.

He made a motion to one of the men near the door who brought him his video camera.

"I always wanted to direct." He mumbled softly as he turned it on and framed Brennen in it. "Call over the boy."

Brennen did not move.

He looked up, saw the rebellion in her face and narrowed his eyes. He bent low, only inches from her face.

"You think I'll think twice before I kill you?" His tone was menacing, and she held back a shudder as his breath hit her face.

Brennen stared unblinking into his eyes.

"Go ahead. I'm not going to help you."

Boss sucked on his cheek and turned to one of the other men.

"Kill the boy."

Brennen's eyes darted over to Parker, his face covered in terror and he was sobbing openly. Kicking and hitting he tried desperatly to keep the man's hands off him, but to no avail.

"Wait! I'll do it, I'll do it! Just leave him alone! Please." She said panicking. It was one thing if they tortured her, it would not be the first time. But she couldn't allow them to hurt Parker.

Inside she cursed Booth. She'd never given in to an attacker before. She'd rather die than give them the power over her. She'd always been feircly independent so that it would never come to this. So that if anything ever happened it would happen only to her and there would be no leverage. But she'd brokenn her own rules. She'd let Booth in and look what had happened. She didn't know when or how but Booth had pushed his way inside her, under her skin and now she had to do all she could to protect what he held most dear. His son.

Parker ran over and climbed up onto Brennen's lap, pushing his face into her shoulder.

"It's okay Parker. It's okay." She whispered. She wanted to hug him back, but she could still not move her arms.

"Now," Boss turned the camera on them once again, "this is what you are going to say."

------------------------------

Booth turned the TV off and sat in silence on his couch. The video was gone, but the image of Bones and Parker still clung to his brain. She'd looked so battered, so alone and defeated. He hated that the most. The thought of his strong, willful Bones at the mercy of a killer, completely defenseless. And Parker. He didn't even see his son's face, just the back of his head as he clung to Bones for dear life.

Her words echoed in his head. The way she'd said them unblinking, but her voice had cracked and his heart died.

"Agent Booth, Parker and I are alive, we are being held by a man who calls himself Boss. He wants something only you can give him. If you do not give him this, Parker and I will die. Help us please."

The last words were the hardest. The rest had been said in monotone, almost as if it was a speech. But at the last three words her face had changed. It was as if they had come from her own heart.

He'd waited so long for her to allow him to help her, to be the one she ran to when she was in trouble. Now it was happening, and it made him sick.

He almost didn't hear his phone start to ring.

**_Thar she blows! Ummm...sorry. Just hit the button and I'll stop impersonating Captian Nemo._**


	7. Faith in Him

**_I'm glad people are enjoying this, I promise it's not near over yet though. _**

Boss had just left the room, giving some order quietly to one of the other men, who pulled a white cloth out of his pocket.

Brennen bent her head low, next to Parker's ear. "Parker, hold you're breath."

That was all she could say before the man grabbed him off her lap and smothered his face with the cloth. Brennen felt tears rolling down her cheeks at watching Parker so terrified and hearing his muffeled screams. What was more, she couldn't tell if he had understood what she'd told him.

The same as before, Parker struggled for a few seconds and then went limp. Brennen's heart sank. He hadn't heard her or hadn't understood. She was alone again, her only hope of escape unconcious in the corner.

The man set Parker's little body on the floor and left the room, locking it behind him. The silence now seeping into every pore of her body left Brennen numb and stared at a spot on the floor, almost in a trance. There was nothing she could do anymore. Nothing mattered.

And then the thought hit her, _what if this is it?_

_What if these are my last moments alive? Have I made any effect on the world? Will anyone even care that I'm gone?_

She shook the thought away. Of course they would care.

_Angela would care, and so would Hodgins and Zack I think. And Russ, what will Russ do? My father is out there somewhere, will he ever know what happened to me?_

She glanced at Parker, who lay still on the floor, _And what about Booth?_

She looked up at the ceiling, searching for answers in the exposed beams of the ceiling.

_I know what I feel for Booth is more than what I say it is. And I've been pushing it away because of what might happen. What I might lose. It was the rational thing to do._

She looked around and realized the situation she was in was exactly the type of situation she was afraid of being in if she and Booth were ever involved.

Only this is much worse.

_Worse, because Booth doesn't know how I really feel. And what if he never does? Was rational right?_

Brennen saw something move in the corner of her eye.

"Parker?" He shouldn't have been moving so soon after chloroform inhalation.

The boy sat straight up and looked at her. Her heart lept.

"Parker, you did it!" She kept her voice low, but couldn't mask her excitement.

Parker grinned. "I can hold my breath the longest out of everybody in swim class." He boasted.

Brennen nodded, almost incapable of holding back tears of emotions she couldn't define.

"You did good Parker. Very good."

----------------------------------------------------------

Cam waited as the phone rang a fifth time, she'd already tried his cell, which went straight to voice mail and was now waiting to see if he answered his house phone. She was about to hang up when she heard Seeley's voice.

"Booth." He was barley audible.

"Hey Seeley, it's Cam."

"Yea?"

He sounded exhausted, she was sure he was fine, as fine as he could be. It was obvious why he would be tired, she was sure he hadn't slept at all in the past 24 hours. But she couldn't stop the question from coming off her lips.

There was silence for a moment before Booth's low voice answered her, this time with a touch of hostility. "Well, Cam, I just got delivered a video of Bones tied to a chair, with a swollen face and bloody head while my _son_ sat cowering in her lap. So no, Camille, I'm not all right. Now, do you have anything new to tell me about their case?"

"Um, sorry, yes. That-that's why I called." Cam cleared her throat and Booth felt no need to apologize. He hated stupid questions.

"Hodgins identified the white flecks found in the skull and in the samples Zack took from the body…" Cam waited to see how Booth would react to her talking about Rebecca's remains.

"And?"

Apparently he was okay with it.

What she didn't know was that his stomach still lurched at the thought of someone he cared for dead, although she drove him nuts, she was someone he loved once, someone he shared a son with. The thought of the squints picking over her dead body tore him up inside.

"Lead paint," she continued, "indicating an old building presumably not kept up very well. He was also able to identify synthetic fibers in the samples Zack took and matched them to something having to do with somethingelse...basically they came from an older model Mercedes."

"Okay." Booth rubbed his face. His eyelids had never felt so heavy.

"And there's something else." Cam hesitated. She hated having to tell him all this, she knew it hurt him but there was nothing she could do. He was inconsolable right now and he needed the facts. The one person he would let be with him at a time like this, was the one person they were working to find.

"The rest of the, um, bio-matter was made up of, well the usual things, but there was something else. Hodgins would kill me for this, but it's 'dirt'. But it has a higher concentration of non-homosapian organics. The particular mix of which makes up the kind of dirt used in potting soil."

"So what, we're looking for a person who works in a greenhouse or flower shop and drives an old Mercedes?"

"Basically."

"Okay thanks Cam, I'm going to make a few calls." Booth hung up on her before she could add another word of sympathy, and called in an old favor.

"Andrews."

"Hey Ace." Booth tried to sound jovial.

"Seel Booth? No way man? Hows it been?"

Booth hesitated and then, "Listen Ace, I need a favor."

"Anything Seel, my man. You know that."

"I need you to do some digging for me, but it's got to be off the books, no one can know what you're doing or who you're doing it for." He knew it was a long shot, but he hoped to get a break cross checking owners of old Mercedes, people employed at floral shops and try and find anyone who lived in older homes. Booth shook his head. It was definitely a long shot.

"But, I'll see what I can do Seel. Anyone specific I should be looking for?"

"No, wait, try narrowing the search to people I have personally been responsible for putting away. Check into what they did before they were arrested."

"Okay."

"That would be great, and listen," he wasn't sure why this thought had occurred to him, but he decided to go with it, too tired to second guess himself. "I don't know if I'll be able to answer my phone or not, so if I don't will you call the Jeffersonian, ask for Angela Montenegro and tell her what you know. Don't leave any information on my voice mail."

"Sure Booth."

"Thanks Ace I owe you one."

"Yea right Seel, you saved my life."

Booth hung up and laid his head back on the couch for a moment to collect his thoughts and was consumed by his exhaustion within seconds.

-----------------------------------------

Parker whimpered. "I can't Bones. It's too tight." She could hear his voice breaking down, she hated that he was scared. Why were these men being so cruel? He was just a child?

"Okay Parker, it's okay. Come here." She called him and he came around from behind the chair where Bones had told him to try and untie her hands.

"I'm sorry Bones." He rubbed his eyes, Brennen could see his teeth chattering. "Bones I'm cold."

Brennen nodded and looked around the room. Cinder block walls painted a dingy crème color, cement floor and an eight foot ceiling. She estimated it was a little less than fifty degrees in the room, she knew Parker was cold. She was cold too. Then for the first time she noticed the blood smears on the wall across from her in the corner.

_Someone else was here, someone who didn't leave alive judging from the amount of blood. I hope Parker didn't see it._

Suddenly Parker was climbing on her lap again, he wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face in her shirt.

"I want my Daddy, Bones."

"I know Parker, I want him too."

"Is he going to save us?" He lifted his head and looked up at her with those big brown eyes and she looked away, swallowing hard and trying to blink back tears.

"Yes, Parker. You're Daddy is going to save us. He won't let us down." She closed her eyes as he put his head back down and the few threatening tears finally prevailed and rolled down her swollen cheeks.

_Please Booth. Please…_

**_Ut's Bonesday everybody! Happy watching...and you know what to do now don't ya? _**


	8. Race Against Time

**_This chap is short because...well, you'll see..._**

Coffee mugs littered the lab, the squints bent low over papers and petri dishes and bones. Going over everything for the third time, praying for another clue. No one had gone home in thirty-six hours and few had slept in forty-eight.

Angela sat nodding off at her desk when her phone suddenly rang, she snapped her head up and grabbed it off the cradle.

"Angela Montenegro."

"Hi, My name is Scott Andrews, I'm a friend of Seeley Booth." The man said uncertainly.

"Oh! Well, okay." Angela rubbed her eyes and forced her exhausted mind to focus.

"He told me to call you with some information if he didn't answer his phone. He didn't and I have some names for him."

"Well what is this about?"

"He didn't really say," He explained to Angela the conversation he and Booth had had just a few hours ago. "So I did and it kicked back a few names. George Bettelson, a guy Booth arrested three years ago who was let out on parole six months ago, he worked as a botanist. There's Bing Straight, but I just got word that he was killed in prison last week."

"Okay, and the last?"

"A guy named Ronny Shaver his father owned a flower shop and he was reported to have driven a '93 Mercedes. Booth arrested him four years ago, and it apparently didn't go so well."

"What do you mean?" She heard the rustling of papers and waited.

"It doesn't say much, just that out of the three men involved, Shaver was the only one to survive a three hour standoff, but with a bullet in his leg that Booth put there. One of the guys killed during the arrest was Shaver's brother Mark. This guy is apparently insane, he killed four people and…"

"And?"

"And he escaped from prison a month and a half ago, no one's heard from him since. He was supposed to have a life sentence, but…"

"Now he's loose and looking for revenge. Okay, thanks Scott."

Anglea ran out into the lab, but remembering very few people knew about what was going on, she called up to the team.

"Jack, Cam, Zack, I have a scenario I need to run by you guys. Lets go to the Angelator."

The three glanced at each other and followed her into the room.

"What's up?" They gathered with her, the tension in the room was palpable.

Angela filled in the team on the phone call she'd just had. Zack stared wide eyed, Cam covered her mouth and walked over to the wall shaking her head. Hodgins, on the other hand, sat down at Angela's computer and began typing furiously.

After a few minutes he clapped his hands.

"Yes. I've got him!" He shouted startling the rest of the team from a pensive meloncholy.

"What?" The group gathered around him, scanning the computer screen for what he was so exited about.

"Ronny Shaver has another brother, Anthony. He owns a house in Market Square, Virginia."

"Market Square? That's a pretty crappy part of town."

"Yea." Hodgins turned and looked at them. "The kind of place where people would probably not be too interested in repainting their houses."

Cam's eyes widened in understanding. "The kind of place where people would have lead paint on the walls left over from the fifties." She snapped her fingers and smiled.

Angela's mouth dropped. "That's where they are!" She looked at Hodgins. "You did it!" In all her excitement she leaned over and placed a quick kiss on his lips.

"Now lets go. I've got to call Booth!"

Hodgins didn't get up immediately, stunned and floating on cloud 9, he almost didn't hear his name being called from the door.

"You coming Jack?"

"Oh," Hodgins blinked, "Yea, here I come." He left the room grinning so wide his cheeks ache.

--------------------------------------------

Booth gripped the steering wheel with one hand and read the text message that had been sent to his phone one more time. He was glad he hadn't damaged it too badly when he hurled it against the wall the night before.

**2400 Granger Rd. Market Square Virgina. You have one hour. You show up, they will be alive, you are late, or come with cops, and they will die.**

His foot pushed harder on the pedal as he violated one more traffic law. He didn't care.

He had to get there, he had to get Bones and Parker back. He glanced again at his phone and saw that he had missed a call from Scott, but pushed it out of his mind. He knew where they were now.

-------------------------------------

Booth's heart rate quickened and his mouth went dry. The strangest calm had come over him the whole way to Market Square. But now he was on the street. It was late afternoon and the cold front the weathermen had been talking about had finally hit.

It was a rural part of the town, the houses were mostly isolated. Most had barns with caved in roofs and broken fences marking their desolate peices of land. He pulled up in front of the house,knowing they were expecting him anyway. The crappy little one-story house's paint was peeling and the foundation looked to be crumbling. All around the thick perimeter of evergreens were being covered in light snow.

Booth turned off the car and got out.

He hadn't taken more than three steps when he heard the safety click.

**_My profile says I'm a cliffee junkie for a reason! This one was short on purpose, the next one will be long. Please smack the button!_**


	9. Powerless

**_Here's the next chap. Thank you again to my faithful reviewers, you guys rock. This chap is dedicated to angel6, she gives great comments and definitly gives me something to look forward to in my email inbox. Now...on with the show!_**

Booth froze, his breath dissipating in the cold air as he tried to make out where the sound had come from. Then he felt pressure in his back and he immediately pushed his hands into the air.

"Walk foreword Agent Booth. Boss will be happy to see you." A menacing voice commanded.

Booth walked stiffly toward the old broken down house, trying to decide whether or not he should turn around and crack open the skull that was behind the gun being pressed into his back.

_No, if I do that, Tempe and Parker are dead for sure._ So he had no choice. He had to do whatever he was told, even though it made him want to scream and strangle the next person within arms reach.

Booth was pushed inside the tiny house, a two room setup.

A dingy living room with a couch and TV were to his right and a kitchen sink and stove to his left. And there, in front of him, a banged up door.

He was so focused on getting through that door, getting to the ones he loved, that he didn't notice the man who'd been holding a gun on him seconds earlier lingering at the front door behind him for a moment, fiddling with an electronic device near the floor.

----------------------------------------------------

Brennen found her head harder to lift the next time she heard men in the room. Her shoulders were starting to send shooting pains through her body from the stress of being pulled behind her and continually struggling against the ropes around her wrists.

Her vision slowly came into focus.

"Booth." She croaked, and tried to swallow, though she hadn't had any water in at last two days and the action was next to impossible.

"Bones." Booth said softly, the sight of her tearing him up inside and the fury he'd been holding back was boiling again in his veins. But it immediately disappeared when he heard his son's voice.

"Daddy?" Parker got up and ran toward his father before the man who had been holding him could react. He started to go after him when Boss shot him a look.

Booth bent low and scooped Parker up, clinging to the child so tightly he was afraid he might hurt him.

"Oh Parker." He breathed, closing his eyes, almost unable to hold back tears of relief. He never wanted to let him go. Parker's face and hands were cold, Booth worried he was getting hypothermic.

Brennen dropped her head again, exhaustion starting to take hold of her. She wasn't sure she'd be able to stay awake much longer.

_Booth is here. Everything will be alright...I'm just so tired._

Booth saw her do this and the overwhelming need to rescue her took over again. He wasn't aware of the tenderness and concern his eyes betrayed, and that that was the reason Boss had his man take Parker away from him at that moment.

"Whoa, wait." Booth reached out to his son who clung to his coat, tears streaming down his chubby red cheeks.

"Daddy!"

Booth started to go after him when the man who had taken him him pulled out a gun and pointed it at Parker. Booth immediately stopped moving, holding up his hands.

"Okay okay. Just hold on." He said in a low, intense voice, his eyes trained on the man's gun.

The room froze in time for a moment. Brennen sitting in the middle of the room, floating in and out of consciousness as her head wounds finally started to take a toll. Booth stood near the door with his hands in the air, his mind racing, trying to figure out what to do next. Boss stood a few feet from Bones in the shadows, taking it all in, wishing he'd had the foresight to grab his video camera before Agent Booth arrived. And the second man, Anthony, Boss's brother, he held Parker tight by his middle, the gun trained on the little boys' head, although inwardly he hoped he wouldn't be asked to use it. The third man stood guard outside the door, unaware of what was happening inside the other room or outside the house.

Boss slowly started to pace, enjoying being the most powerful person in the room.

"Do you remember me? Agent Booth?" He said finally.

Booth tore his eyes away from his son and looked at the man called 'Boss' for the first time. He narrowed his eyes, trying to place the face that definitely did look familiar. Finally it hit him.

"Shaver? Ronny Shaver?"

Boss stopped and turned toward him. He was standing directly behind Brennen. "Very good Agent Booth." He reached out and touched the top of Brennen's head, she visibly flinched and hated herself for it.

"You said you would let them go, alright? Now, I'm here, I've done everything you told me to. Let. Them. Go." The darkness in Booth's voice was not at all subtle.

"You see the scar on my face Agent Booth?" Boss asked nonchalantly, ignoring Booth's threatening tone.

Booth didn't answer. Obviously he saw it, it was a huge, deep gash disfiguring the entire right side of his face.

"I got it in prison. From a man who thought I'd stolen his socks." He looked up at Booth, whose eyes betrayed almost no emotion except pure hate. Boss almost smiled to himself, he was going to be feeling a lot more than that in a few minutes.

----------------------------------------------------

"We cannot call the police!" Angela yelled a third time. She and the team were piled into Cam's new Mazda, barreling down the highway toward Virginia.

A cell phone sat poised in Zack's hand.

"But Angela, what if they're hurt? And we are not equipped to handle a firefight. I mean we can't exactly intimidate them with our combined six and a half doctorates." Cam said, glancing in her rearview mirror and swerving into another lane.

"But if we call them and they get to the house before we do Shaver could freak out and kill them all!" Angela was near panic. How could they think to do this? How could they put Brennen and Parker and possibly Booth's lives in danger so easily?

"What if we make sure they don't get there before we do?" Hodgins leaned foreword to be better heard by Cam and Angela in the front seat. "I say we go, we asses the situation when we get there and we decide then whether or not to call the police or an ambulance or whatever."

They looked at each other and then at the clock. Cam swore she could make the forty-five minute drive to Market Square in thirty providing she didn't run into any exuberant cops, so they had about a twenty-minute drive ahead of them.

"Okay. We can do that." Angela said finally, turning her attention to the road and wiping a stray tear from her cheek. Jack reached up from behind and squeezed her shoulder, and she grasped his hand before he could pull it away.

_Okay. It's all going to be okay._ Was the only thought any of them had for the rest of the ride, although no one was sure they believed it.

------------------------------------------------------

"You killed my brother Agent Booth. You shot me in the leg."

"Yea, well you killed four people so forgive me if I'm not all that broken up about it."

Boss's face turned hard and he snatched Brennen's hair, pulling her head upward as she let out a small cry.

"You care to see your pretty doctor with a matching scar Agent Booth?" He pulled out a pocket knife and held it at Brennen's ear. Booth stiffened, his mind racing and blank at the same time.

"Then I suggest you be a little more sensitive," he jerked Brennen's head again, "about what you say." Then just as suddenly as it had been there the hostility left and he cocked his head to the side as if he had just remembered something. "How's Rebecca, Agent Booth? The last time I saw her she had a bit of a headache."

"You sonofa…" Booth started toward Boss and Brennen when he heard another safety click to his right. He looked over and saw the terror in Parker's eyes. _How does he know what that sound means?_ Booth found himself wondering.

"Step back, Agent Booth." Boss said through gritted teeth. Booth did and the helpless feeling he'd been battling for the past few days washed over him one more time.

"Alright. Alright. I'm here okay? Now just let them go. Do whatever you want to me just let Parker and Dr. Brennen go."

Boss threw down Brennen's head, which did nothing for her impending dizziness.

"I never said I'd let them go." He said quietly, delighted to see horror in the agent's features.

"But…"

"No, no no. I promised you would see them alive, and they are. I never said they would stay that way." He crossed the room and came nose to nose with Booth, who had at least two inches on him. "I've had four and a half years to think Agent Booth. Four and a half years to decide how I would repay you for what you did to me. Well I've finally decided." Boss smiled a little and placed a hand on Booth's shoulder, knowing the agent wouldn't move as long as the gun was trained on his son.

He leaned foreword and whispered in Booth's ear. "I'm going to kill little Parker and the good doctor. And you're going to watch, only this time, instead of a videotape, you'll get to see it live and in person."

Booth looked at Brennen and then at Parker and for the first time in his life, he knew what it meant to be defeated.

**_Yes. I know I'm evil...and I'm okay with it. lol. Now...do you want more...or shall I just leave it there? ;P_**


	10. Savior

**_Thanks again to everyone who reviews, and all you lurkers out there who are just reading...it's okay, I like you too. :)_**

Boss pulled away from Booth, who stared at the psycho with cold eyes. He did not like this new helpless feeling and was racking his brain for a way out.

"So, Agent Booth, lets get right to the main event shall we?" he pulled a quarter out of his vest and held it out in his hand. "Heads, the doctor, tails, the boy." Boss smiled as he tossed the coin into the air.

The clinking noise it made when it hit the cement floor, was the most deafening sound Booth thought he'd ever heard.

--------------------------------------------

"Look. There's Booth's SUV." Angela whispered to the others in the car and pointed outside.

Cam pulled up a few spaces behind and listened as the snow crunched under the tires.

"Zack?" She said expectantly.

Zack nodded and pulled a laptop and something that looked like a radar gun out of his backpack. "This is a thermal imaging device. Red will being the warmest, giving us outlines of people while black is the coldest, snow and ice. I made it from a retired radar gun and the imaging technology used in…"

"Zack, love you to death, but all I need to know is how to turn it on." Angela grabbed the device and pointed it at the house.

"There." Hodgins said pointing at the colorful blobs on Zack's computer.

"Yes. It's sensing several heat signatures."

A vague outline of walls was visable around the colorful blobs of human-shaped shadows on his screen.

"I count six. This one," he pointed to one in a sitting near the bottom of the screen. "Is stronger than the others, I'd say he's in a different room, closer to us."

"And the others?" Cam was straining to see, turned around backward in her seat.

"This on is the smallest, that's probably Parker." Zack pointed at the smallest blob near the wall.

"God, look at all the green and blue. He must be so cold." Angela said quietly, a pained expression on her face.

"This one's Booth." Cam pointed at one of the bigger, redder blobs.

"How do you know."

"I just know." She said decidedly.

"Then this one is probably Brenenn." Angela pointed to the blob in the middle, "It's got the most blue and green next to Parker."

Zack nodded. "These concentrations of yellow in the torso and cranium indicate bruising. She's injured."

Angela turned away to regain her composure, finally letting go of Jack's hand, which she'd clung to for the entire trip.

"You guys. I have a plan." Hodgins said finally, his face betraying two parts worry and one part excitement.

-----------------------------------------------

"Hmmm…" Boss stared at the coin on the floor. "The doctor it is then."

He sauntered over to Brennen and again yanked her drooping head up violently, putting impossible strain on her shoulders and she bit back a cry of pain. He pulled out his pocket knife and twirled it daintily in his fingers.

"Booth." Brennen whispered, her eyes focusing on the man at the door, she'd never seen him look so helpless. She allowed the tears to fall silently, but refused to sob.

Booth's eyes darted back and forth between Parker and Brennen.

_I need more time._

"Uh…hold on a second. Just hold on." Booth put his hands out as if calming a crowd. His chest felt like it was shaking with every pound of his heart. "Don't do this." He pleaded quietly.

Boss glanced at Booth but turned away again.

"Oh well since you said it _so_ nicely." He brought the knife to Brennen's neck and she closed her eyes.

----------------------------------------------------

"Hodgins! Where did you get those?" Cam stared wide eyed at the gas mask and seeming grenade Hodgins had just pulled out of his own backpack.

"If I told you that I'd have to kill you." Cam glowered and he gave in. "Don't worry, it's not a grenade, it's a smoke bomb. Maybe it will buy me some time." Hodgins moved quietly to get out of the car.

"Jack." Angela grabbed his arm as he started to rise and looked up at him with glassy eyes.

"You can't do this. You might be killed."

_If I don't do this, Brennen and Parker and Booth will be killed._

"Angela. Call the cops." He leaned over, placing a gentle kiss on her lips, then pulled away quickly. He crouched low and made his way to the house.

**_Hit the button, smack the button, click the button, stab the button...just somehow apply pressure to the button and tell me what you thought!_**


	11. Not Over Yet

**_All you're reviews are awesome, I'm glad people liked the idea of a Hero Hodgins. Someone requested that Parker bite one of the bad guys...well he bites someone..._**

"Just hold on a second. Please." Booth pleaded, trying to hide the hostility in his voice. If he just had his gun he could take out both men in seconds. But they'd told him to come unarmed and that was exactly what he'd done.

He also knew he couldn't go after either Brennen or Parker because he would end up saving one and the other would most certainly die. He had to stay put. His only chance was to talk the man down.

"Look, Ronny," Booth began.

"Boss!" The man held out the knife toward Booth. "You call me Boss."

"Okay. Okay, I'm sorry. Boss. I don't know what you want from me but I'll do it. Just please let them go."

"No."

Booth started to sweat, despite the chilly temperature in the room.

"At least," he swallowed, "at least let Parker leave the room. He's my son, he's only four."

Boss looked at him for a long time, clearly thinking hard.

"Screw the coin." He said, dropping Brennen's head and starting toward Anthony and Parker.

Booth's eyes twitched for a second, he could have sworn he just saw a shadow pass the window outside.

------------------------------------------------

Hodgins crouched low and peeked in the window to assess the situation. A drabby room, with a couch and a TV and farther away a kitchen sink and stove.

_Empty,_ he thought triumphantly, then he saw a man rise from the floor where he'd dropped something. Hodgins ducked and closed his eyes trying to think rationally.

I_ need to get in there. I need to get rid of this guy. I only have one smoke bomb. I should try and save it._

"What's he doing?" Angela asked anxiously, she'd handed the phone to Cam to deal with the police since she 'spoke their language'. "Why is he going to the front door?"

"Does he think he can just knock and ask for them to let Dr. Brennen and the others go?" Zack asked almost sarcastically from the back seat. Angela shot him a glare.

"He's got a plan." She tried to relax and let Hodgins' plan unfold, but it took all her strength not to scream at him to come back to the car.

Hodgins put his empty backpack on the doorstep and knocked firmly. Then stepped to the side so he wouldn't be seen when it opened.

It took a few moments, but the door opened a little. Then a bit more as the person who opened it saw the backpack and reached out to investigate.

Hodgins gathered his strength and in a single move, jumped out in front of the guy and punched him hard in the jaw. The man fell back to the ground making a loud thud, and in his surprise dropped his gun.

"Whoa." Hodgins whispered to himself, shaking pain out of his hand and quickly reached out for the dropped weapon. Just as the man was about to call out Hodgins leaned over and cracked him across the forehead with the but of the gun, knocking him unconscious immediately.

"Man, that really works." Hodgins nodded approvingly and shoved the gun into the waistband of his jeans.  
----------------------------------------------------

Boss stopped walking and looked at Booth. Everyone had heard the thud.

"Did you come with anyone?" He snarled.

"NO! No. You told me to come alone and that's exactly what I did." Booth's panic surfaced momentarily in his voice.

Boss narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"Look you have my son and my partner. I wouldn't put their lives in danger. I've done everything you've told me to do."

Boss nodded, he knew this agent well enough to know that was the truth. He called to the man outside, no answer.

"Anthony go check out what that was." Boss ordered.

The man holding Parker nodded and placed the boy on the ground, who quickly pushed himself far up against the wall and closed his eyes.

Booth watched him and felt sick at how badly he wanted to reach out and hold his son, keep him safe.

He moved aside and Anthony opened the door.

------------------------------------------------

Hodgins heard mumbling inside and then someone saying 'No' loudly.

_Booth._

Hodgins took a couple of calming breaths and walked toward the door, quickly placing the gas mask over his face. His heart rate quickened when he heard one of the voices behind the door call out for 'Kyle'.

"Kyle is indisposed at the moment." He muttered to himself and waited next to the door, knowing someone would come to investigate Kyle's sudden silence.

He didn't have to wait long, the door swung open and Hodgins took the opportunity to set off the smoke bomb and throw it in the other room.

Booth and Boss stared at the small ball that landed in the middle of the floor near Brennen's feet. Booth knew it wasn't a grenade, but didn't have time to figure out what it was when the room filled with a thick gray fog.

Anthony was startled by the sight of an alien or giant bug outside the door, giving it enough time to pull out a heavy black object and smack him over the head with it. All went black.

Booth knew the smoke was a door, and he planned to take it. He dove for the last position Boss held on the floor. He couldn't see, but he felt the man's body under him and reached out for the knife still in Boss' hand.

"Aaaahhh!!" Booth screamed as a searing pain shot through his arm. _Found the knife,_ he thought irately. He grabbed the weapon from Boss' hands and in the process got a stiff punch to the stomach.

Hodgins saw Brennen through the smoke and ran toward her, untying her hands and feet. His heart broke as he heard her sobbing softly, still trying her best to struggle against him.

"It's me. Hodgins. Can you get up?" He spoke over her sobs and the sound of a struggle to his left, she immidiatly stopped her ineffective kicking.

"Yes." She choked on the smoke and forced her sore body to rise from the chair as soon as Hodgins finished untieing her. As she stood her head started to spin. She felt Hodgins' arms on her. "Don't." She pushed him away as she staggered toward the door. "Get Parker."

Hodgins turned around, he saw Booth and the other man struggling, he wanted to help out but knew Parker was more of a priority. Besides, Booth was a Ranger, he could handle himself in a fight.

He saw Parker's small body huddled on the floor, shielding his face from the smoke. He reached out to pick him up. Parker screamed and started hitting him.

"Go away! Go away!" He grabbed one of Hodgins' hands and brought it to his mouth, biting down soundly.

"Ouch! Shit. Hold on Parker. It's okay buddy, it's okay. I'm a friend of your dad's." His voice was distorted through the mask but Parker stopped struggling so hard and Hodgins scooped him up and went toward the door.

Brennen had stopped in the middle of the living room and was starting to waver as she fought unconsiousness.

Hodgins whipped the gas mask off his face and grabbed her arm, pulling her outside.

In the room the smoke had begun to dissipate, Booth gave the man another hard hit to the chest and scrambled for the gun Anthony had dropped a few feet away.

Booth stood and lifted his newly acquired weapon to point directly at Boss' head. He must have been seeing things because he thought he saw Boss smiling.

Boss slowly rose to his feet and looked Booth in the eye.

"What are you smiling at?" Booth said through his teeth, using all his self control to keep from blowing him away right there.

"You, Agent Booth." Boss was almost laughing now.

"Why?" Booth's trigger finger itched, but he held back.

"Because, you have no idea what's about to happen."

**_Uh oh...what has Boss got up his sleeve?? hmmm? Wanna know? Poke that cute little button down there. :)_**


	12. Big Bang

_**I decided to update again tonight because of all the awesome reviewers...but did I mention I'm a cliffee junkie?? **_

"What are you talking about? I'm the one with the gun, so I'd say we both have a pretty good idea of what's going to happen next." Booth's finger tightened around the trigger.

"No, Agent Booth. You _really_ have no idea." Boss just shook his head and smiled, but Booth's trained eye noticed beads of moisture beginning to form on Boss' head. Something was up.

"Then why don't you enlighten me."

Boss tilted his head and shrugged. "Well, when you're little friend burst in here all rude and uninvited I doubt he took the time to disarm the sensors I have set up on all the doors and windows."

"So? What are the police going to show up?" Booth asked with sarcasm and a touch of irony in his voice.

Boss shook his head and then stated nonchalantly, "Nope. But it did start the timer on a bomb I have set up under the house."

Booth's pupils dilated and the gun pointed at Boss' head wavered a little. This made Boss' smile wider.

"I'm guessing there's less than fifteen seconds left." He shrugged, "I didn't really want to go down with it all, but at least I have the satisfaction of knowing you're going down with me."

At this Booth pursed his lips, took aim, and fired two quick rounds.

-----------------------------------------------

Brennen's steps faltered, the waves of pain were almost constant now and she thought she might throw up. Outside, snow had begun to fall and it was eerily silent except for Parker's quiet sobs in Hodgins' arms next to her.

"Brennen!!"

Temperance was leaning over, her hands on her knees but lifted her head and saw Angela rushing toward her through the strands of hair in her face.

"Put Parker in the car." She said weakly to Hodgins, who noticed she was no longer beside him and had started back toward her to help. "Go." She said again, more forcefully as she pushed herself into a standing position.

Hodgins stopped and turned back toward the car with a reluctant look on his face.

Shots rang out into the air and Brennen's breath caught in her throat. She turned back around to face the house quickly, and ignored the dizziness trying to knock her off balance.

_Were those gunshots?_

Her eyes fixed on the door. There was no movement in the world as she waited, hugging herself from the cold and pain, and she waited for any sign of her partner. Her friend. The only man she could ever remember loving so much.

She didn't have time to realize what she'd just thought when there was a deafening bang and she was blown off her feet. The house shattered, blew apart in all directions. Both Brennen and Angela, who was thirty feet away, were blown backwards into the snow.

And just as suddenly as it had been there, the blast was gone, the echo off the trees and sky died away and silence filled the world again.

**_I'm just gonna...go hide for a while...don't want to be around when the mobs start to form..._**


	13. Aftermath

_**I've been begged, threatened and bribed, so here is the next chapter. I'm kind of glad you guys arent as into mobs as they are over in the Boneyard at a lot safer for evil writers like me. lol. **_

_I'm dead…_

_No. I can't be dead. Dead people don't think…so…_

Brennen opened her eyes. Black smoke was rising to the sky and small pieces of wood and drywall were still making their decent all around. She could hear sirens in the distance. She found herself lying down and mentally made a check to see if all of her body was still intact.

Finding that it was, she sat up slowly, sending shooting pains down her side and through her brain, but choosing to ignore them to the best of her ability. It was then that she saw the black structure in front of her, less than half of what it used to be.

"No." she whispered. Most of the walls were gone, remnants furniture had been blown several yards away and there was no sign of Booth.

"Booth." She stood and surveyed the wreckage, straining to see any sign of life. Suddenly, she realized, her injuries didn't matter, her pain and fear didn't matter. Booth was all that mattered.

_What were those two shots? Where is he? Is he alive?_

She heard a groan and turned to see Angela standing up.

"Brennen are you okay?" She was in shock, but still worried about her friend. Brennen's battered face held something of terror or despair.

"Bren?" She reached out and held her friends' arms, who just jerked away and turned back toward the house, which now had small insignificant fires all around.

"Booth." Was all she said as she started to walk back decidedly the way she'd come.

"Oh God, Booth was still inside?" Angela watched as Brennen walked, with some difficulty, staring, searching the ground.

Angela looked around, pieces of there house were everywhere, she closed her eyes slowly. _Is Brennen looking for body parts? Parts of Booth?_

At the same time Brennen's rational mind had taken over for a moment and she was trying to add up all the factors.

_Intensity of the blast…dispersion of debris…heat from the fire…and…and…_ she put a hand to her head. She couldn't think clearly enough. She couldn't decide if the blast was enough to blow him apart.

The thought brought tears to her eyes and she turned in a slow circle.

_It can't be. Not Booth._

Angela was standing and staring at her, her hands dropped helplessly at her sides.

_After all this._

Zack was running toward them, leaving Hodgins standing guard over Parker in the car.

_I kept Parker safe for you, you can't…_

Cam was on her knees, hands over her face in the snow.

_I can't do this alone. You just can't…_

"Sweetie Look!" Angela pointed behind Temperance, who turned around quickly and saw a broad figure rising from the snow directly in front of where the door used to be. She ran toward it, screaming.

"Booth!" The pain rocketed through her body but she never faltered, just hit her knees when she reached his side.

"Booth. Oh, Booth!" She flung her arms around him as he brought himself, with some difficulty, to a kneeling position.

He groaned, he had yet to open his eyes, he felt a little groggy and was fighting a loud ringing in his ears. Now there was a weight on his neck. It smelled like peaches.

He opened his eyes.

_I'm outside._ He took a quick glance around and realized what had happened. _The bomb went off._ He saw Hodgins over at Cam's car and realized the weight on his neck belonged to the peach smell. And that smell belonged to Brennen.

"Temperance." He whispered, reaching around her and putting his head down on her shoulder, burying his tears in her hair.

"I've got you back. I've got you back…" He just shook his head and pulled her tighter, she did the same.

They were alive. They were safe.

------------------------------------------

"I swear I will snap you in half in half if you try it." Booth glared at the EMT.

"Sir, I need to call you an ambulance, there could be internal injuries. If I could just…"

"I"ll tell you what you can do. You can bandage up my arm and let me ride with my son back to the hospital." Booth said to the paramedic, who insisted on giving him a full once over before allowing him to go anywhere.

"But sir, you were the closest to the blast. There might be…"

"I already told you, I was carrying Shaver's body because I shot him in the leg." _Same spot as before actually_, he thought, slightly amused with himself.

"We were almost to the door when the bomb went off. His body shielded me." Booth wasn't at all sorry that Shaver's body had taken the full brunt of the explosion and killed him while saving himself from serious injury.

"She and my son," Booth pointed his finger in two different directions, "are hypothermic, dehydrated and she's beaten to a bloody pulp. So stop being so asinine, treat her and let me go to my son!"

Finally the medic nodded and stepped aside to allow the agent to walk away. He went to tend to Dr. Brennen, who was being strapped to the gurney and was about to be loaded into the ambulance. He hoped she would be easier to deal with than the agent had been.

Booth hugged his son and kissed the top of his head. Parker sat wrapped in a thick blanket one of the firemen gave him, but wasn't paying much attention to his father's concerned gesture, he was staring over at Bones who, in his wide-eyed five-year-old opinion, didn't look so good.

"Daddy?"

"Hmm?"

"Is Bones going to be okay?"

Booth lifted is head and looked over at his Bones. She glanced at him and Booth was troubled when he saw the emptiness of her face. It held nothing of the concern and relief it had possessed just after the explosion. But, maybe it was just shock, maybe she wasn't really seeing him. Angela was with her, she was safe.

"Yea bub, she's going to be fine." Booth hoped his voice sounded surer than he felt.

Brennen felt his eyes on her and she let them slide over to him. She knew he should be on a gurney too, but that would mean leaving Parker alone in the ambulance and Brennen had a hard time believing he would ever leave his son's side again.

She closed her eyes and would have shook her head if it wasn't strapped into place as they lifted her into the ambulance.

_Why? Why did he have to look at me with those eyes? Those big brown eyes so full of concern and tenderness and desire. Doesn't he know how hard this is for me? Needing him? Doesn't he know how to be rational?_

Booth watched Brennen's ambulance speed away, his heart nagging at him to follow.

**_There's still more. Jab that silly little button and let me know what you thought._**


	14. Mulling it Over

_**Well, because of all the awesome reviews, I've been inspired to give you the next chapter...**_

Brennen's eyes fluttered open. She heard the sound of machines in the dark room and knew she was in her hospital room. She'd been awake off and on for the past day and a half while the doctors observed her. A couple of cracked ribs, dislocated shoulder and a concussion, but she would be okay.

All the pain meds made her sleep so she could only remember a few fuzzy parts of the last thirty-six hours. She remembered Angela being around often, along with Hodgins and Zack. The doctors said she was doing well, that she could go home soon.

Her eyes moved around the room. She didn't expect him to be there, she was sure he was probably with Parker, but her eyes strained to see through the dark anyway. She knew he'd been in her room quite a lot as well and that she'd been unfair to him, pretending to be asleep when he tried to talk to her. But she had important things to say to him, and she couldn't say them while other people were around and she knew he would press her to do so.

Finally she gave up. He wasn't there.

After a few minutes she thought she heard rustling in the room, when she opened her eyes again she saw a figure bent over in the chair beside her.

"Booth?"

Angela sat up quickly, startled by the sound of Brennen's voice.

"Sweetie! You're up." Angela whispered excitedly and touched her friends hand.

"Oh. Hi Angela."

Angela made a pouty face. "Well, you could at least _pretend_ to be happy to see me."

"No no, I am. I just thought it would be…nevermind."

Angela nodded and then said casually. "Booth was here earlier. Been here a lot actually."

"Oh yeah?"

"Mmm-hmm. Parker's room was just down the hall so he's been running back and forth between your rooms since yesterday afternoon."

"Oh." Brennen smiled in spite of telling herself that that was just what Booth did, he was concerned for everybody all the time. Unfortunately, she didn't have enough energy lie to herself and believe it at the same time.

"Yea, but every time you woke up, he wasn't around and by the time he got here, you were out again."

Brennen looked away, feeling guilty for putting him through that.

"How is Parker?"

Angela sighed. "He's okay, they warmed him up, fed him, Booth took him home late this afternoon. Poor little guy has been having a hard time with the news about his mom though."

Brennen stared at Angela in confusion.

"Oh, you don't know, I forgot." She gripped her friend's hand tighter, "Sweetie, the bones you found at the car accident, remember those?" Brennen nodded. "They belonged to Rebecca."

"You mean…"

Brennen closed her eyes when Angela started to nod slowly. _Of course, just another ploy to get at Booth. The blood stain on the wall, Boss' comment about her having a headache, it makes sense. I can't believe I've been so horrible to Booth after all of this. Poor Parker._

"What's the matter Sweetie?" Angela noted the pained expression on Brennen's face and she hoped the pain medication wasn't wearing off.

"Nothing, Ange. I'm just…tired."

"Oh. Okay Sweetie, I'll go, I just came in to check on you. A guy I dated once works here and got me in outside of visiting hours, but you should get you're rest. They're planning to discharge you late tomorrow morning."

"Really?"

"Yeah, Booth almost broke the doctor in half when he said it, but they think you're stable enough to go home."

Brennen frowned. "He didn't have to do that. Booth I mean, I can take care of myself."

Angela eyed her battered friend for a long moment, "Yea, sweetie, he knows that. It doesn't mean he's going to stop sticking up for you."

"I don't need him to."

"Sounds strange coming from someone in a hospital bed."

Brennen stared daggers at her.

"All I'm saying is that being taken care of isn't something to be afraid of. It's a good thing sweetie. Having someone care about you is a good thing." She squeezed her hand one more time. "Give Booth a break, he's doing the best he can, you're not the easiest person to love, Sweetie. But don't think that's going to stop us from doing it."

Brennen smiled slightly at Angela's teasing and watched her get up to leave, but a sudden urgency surged within her and a question escaped her lips before she could stop it.

"Do you think he loves me?"

Angela turned and crossed her arms, a satisfied smile donning her face. "Sweetie, he's gotten himself blown up twice now for you. If that doesn't say 'I love you' like kissing in the rain on a warm night in June, I don't know what does." She and Brennen shared a small laugh at this and she finally left.

Brennen stared at the ceiling for a while, not feeling at all tired. She'd always thought mulling was a waste of time, the answer was either yes or no, good or bad, right or wrong. In spite of all this, though, she felt the need to chew on what Angela had said and not make her decision too hastily. Booth was too important.

_Not something to be afraid of._

_Give him a break._

_He loves you._

Brennen sighed deeply. "Okay, I have to speak to Booth tomorrow. No matter what." She said decisively to the empty room. She nodded to herself, to firm her decision, turned to look out the window and waited impatiently for the sun to come up.

**_There you go. One last chap, it's good and long. Should be up tomarrow. _**


	15. Brave New World

_**Sorry, I said there was one more chapter, but there's actually one more chapter AFTER this one...my bad. **_

Late the next morning turned into late the next afternoon and Brennen was annoyed to find herself being loaded into the wheelchair at quarter to four.

"I can walk." Brennen pushed herself off the bed, dressed in clothes Angela brought her and her arm held gingerly in a sling.

"But miss, it's hospital protocol. We have to wheel you off the premises."

"There is nothing wrong with my legs." Brennen proceeded to push past the doctor and walk out of the room on her own, meeting Angela in the hallway carrying three cups of coffee.

"Zack? I told you to make sure she was put into the wheelchair." Angela stared expectantly at Zack who shrugged his shoulders helplessly, carrying a bag of Brennen's clothes and two pots of flowers from her room.

He had on jeans and a tie she'd picked out for him, although it was much looser than she liked. "I tried Angela but…"

"Ange, there was nothing he could do." Brennen cut in.

"I believe that."

"Can we go now?"

Angela sighed and handed her a coffee. "Yes. We're all set."

The walk to Angela's car was made in silence, or at least Brennen thought it was silence, as she was completely focused on figuring out what she would say to Booth. She'd been thinking about it all day and still had not come up with any appealing conversation starters.

"Zack, tie's work so much better when they're tight enough to actually do something." Angela adjusted his tie while in the elevator and he smiled shyly.

"Well, I feel constricted in it, I find it hard to breathe. Besides Booth wears his like this." Zack countered.

"Yes, well, Booth also carries a gun and could bring world peace if he took his shirt off and ran through a sprinkler on national television."

"I don't know what that means," Zack puzzled over her comment. _How would Booth's naked torso bring world peace?_ "But I'm pretty sure you're mistaken."

"What it means, _Dr_. Addy, is that Booth dresses to be taken seriously as a cop. You dress to be taken seriously as a scientist. Two completely different ties."

Angela pushed open the exit door and hit a button on her key ring. The lights on a Toyota blinked a few cars down in the parking structure.

"Hey, Bren," She turned around to find Brennen lagging behind them a few paces with a concentrated look on her face. "You okay?"

"Hmm? Yea." She pushed hair falling from her messy bun out of her face and smiled. "I'm fine Ange. Looking foreword to getting back to work."

Angela just nodded and ushered Brennen into the car as she helped Zack load the trunk.

"Alright, where to Z-man? Home or back to the lab?" Angela turned on the ignition and started out toward the street.

"Um, actually, could you drop me off at Wong Foos? I'm supposed to be meeting someone there."

"Someone interesting?" She glanced at him in the rearview mirror, he avoided her gaze and stared out the window. "Someone cute?" This time a small smile donned his lips. "Someone you'll be doing naughty things with?"

Zack's face turned beet red. "Yes. She's very interesting."

Brennen, who'd been brought out of her thoughtful trance momentarily, glanced at Angela, who had a mischevious twinkle in her eye.

"Awwwwww. Zack, I'm so proud." She barely had the car in 'park' when Zack whipped the door open and ran inside the restaurant. Angela giggled as she pulled out.

"That wasn't nice Angela. You made him nervous." Brennen glared dissaprovingly at her friend.

"Yea. I know." Angela grinned and then took on a more solomn tone. "So, um…the police are done taking photos and everything of your apartment, but I haven't had a chance to go over and clean things up so you can stay at my place if you want."

Brennen's stomach churned. She hadn't thought about the condition her house might be in. She closed her eyes to push away the emotions threatening to claim her, the fear and anger were almost too much for her already exhausted mind to take.

"I guess that would be okay. But first can you take me to Booth's? I wanted to speak to him and he didn't come to the hospital today." Brennen found that odd. She figured if there was ever a time when Booth would insist on being there for her, it would be when she was being discharged from the hospital.

"Oh he was there in spirit." Angela almost sounded annoyed.

"What?"

"He called me like fourteen times today to see how you were." Angela navigated the DC winter rush hour traffic carefully, not wanting to make jerky movements that would hurt Brennen's arm. "I guess Parker was sick today and he kept him home, the doctors said that might happen because of one of the antibiotics. Poor kid."

Brennen nodded, unable to think of proper words to say as they pulled up in front of Booth's apartment building. Angela turned off the car and the two sat unmoving for a while in silence. Angela knew what a big step her friend was about to take and she didn't want to rush her.

"Um, okay well, can I call you when I need you to come pick me up?" Brennen said finally.

Angela nodded, and as Brennen started to get out of the car and reached out and touched her hand.

Brennen turned to look at her, knowing she desperately needed whatever encouraging words her friend was about to give.

"Be brave, sweetie." She wanted to hug her, but couldn't do it in the car with Brennen's arm in a sling, so she setteled for a squeeze of the hand.

Brennen gave her one last small smile and shut the door.

_**Okay, NOW there is one more chapter. lol. I think I'm going to post it right away to make up for my unintentional lying. **_


	16. Dear to Him

**_So this is the official last chapter. definite BB and a little bit of Parker too. _**

The walk to Booth's apartment door seemed to take much longer than usual. And she lost track of how long she'd been standing at the door before she finally got up the courage to knock. One swift solid bang on the door that she thought sounded strange in the silence of the hallway.

_Who knocks only once?_ Booth wondered if he'd imagined the sound, but when he opened the door and saw Bones standing there, he knew he hadn't.

A wide grin brightened his face. "Bones!" He snatched her up into a hug, being careful not to disturb her right arm.

"You're out, you're okay.' He said softly, and then pulled himself off her, although he was sure it was one of the hardest things he'd ever had to do.

Brennen smiled genuinely for the first time since she'd woke up. "Hi Booth."

They stood silently for a moment in the hallway as Brennen allowed Booth to examine her face closely, his finger under her chin, gently pushing it from side to side.

His face was a little darker when he finally stepped aside and guided her inside his apartment by the small of her back. He hated to see her like that, the effects of the past few days still painfully visible on her skin and anger toward the hospital and doctors who'd let her out threatened to boil over. Of course, it was nothing compared to the anger he still held toward himself. He felt he'd utterly failed the two people that meant the most to him, and they were the ones paying for it.

He crossed his arms and leaned against the door. "I'm sorry Bones. I…"

"Don't do that Booth." Brennen didn't need to be able to read his mind to know what he was thinking. It was written plainly in his face. "Don't blame yourself for what happened."

"How can I not?"

She smiled and touched his shoulder. "Booth, you didn't do anything wrong. You arrested a bad guy. That's all. You can't help that he was psychotic." She gave him an openhanded pat before turning toward the living room.

Booth smiled at her back and walked toward the kitchen. "Go ahead and sit down if you want." He gestured toward the couch. "You want something to drink?"

"Beer?" Brennen asked playfully, and took her seat on the couch, on the cushion nearest to the door.

"Yeah, right, with the medications you're on? Nice try Bones." He walked back into the room with a glass of water that held four ice cubes. Just the way she liked it.

"This is the best I can do, haven't had a chance to go shopping yet."

Brennen nodded thankfully and drank all the water without stopping for breath.

Booth raised his eyebrows. "I like a girl that can drink." He took her glass and put it back in the kitchen.

"Where's Parker?" Brennen looked around the room, there was no sign of the precocious four-year-old.

"Oh, he's sleeping. It's been a pretty horrible week for him, he's tired." Booth came back to the living room, clearly upset by his son's pain.

"Um, yeah, Angela told me about Rebecca. I'm so sorry Booth."

He nodded and sat down next to her. "Thanks. He'll be okay though. He's strong."

"Like his dad." She said softly.

Booth looked over at her and smiled, she blushed and turned away. "I, um, came to say I'm sorry for something else though."

"For avoiding me?"

Brennen turned back toward him raising her eyebrows, unwilling to believe he really read her so easily.

"What do you mean? I've been in a hospital bed for the past two days, how could I avoid you?"

"You know what I mean Temperance. You were awake a couple of times when I came to your room, but you didn't answer me when I talked to you. You pretended to be asleep. Why?" Booth held back a smile at watching Bones struggle for words. She was biting her bottom lip and gazing out the window, he thought she was so cute when she did that.

Brennen sighed, guilt pushing on her chest and she kicked off her shoes to pull her feet up under her.

"Because you are important to me." She said softly.

Booth furrowed his brows and then said in the sarcastic tone he only used with Brennen, "Yea, I can see how that would make you weary of my presence."

She glared at him, though it didn't hold the conviction it usually did. "I just mean that… Booth, what I mean is that…" she closed her eyes and shook her head slightly.

_This is why I don't do this. This is hard._

Booth took a calming breath and bit his tongue, he wanted so badly to prompt her, but knew she had to do this in her own time.

"You've gotten under my skin, you know? Well, not literally..." She glanced at him, his face was so open and patient, she couldn't remember ever wanting to do something so much and having such a hard time doing it.

_I can do this._

"I try to keep people at a safe distance, Booth, so I can be rational, so I can continue to function if something ever happens to them. Because when people get close they make you weak and vulnerable. But somehow, I don't know how you did it, but you got to me. I was angry at you for doing that."

Booth snapped out of his pride at finally getting Bones to confide in him, "You're angry at me?"

"No. I _was_ angry at you."

"Why?"

"Because of what I just said Booth. I have never given in before. If someone threatened me the last thing I would do is comply. But, with Parker there…I just couldn't. I couldn't let anything happen to him because I knew it would kill you. So I had to do everything I could to keep him safe. That's never happened to me before. I've never felt…never cared, for anyone so much." Brennen's voice cracked and she looked away from Booth, who was staring at her with those eyes that made her want to curl up next to him and never move.

Booth clasped his hands together and looked at them. "That's why you're mad at me? For getting close to you?"

"No. That's why I _was_ mad at you Booth. I've been doing a lot of thinking in the past few hours but the one thing I've been able to come to decide on is that I'm not mad at you anymore. It's not fair for me to be mad at you for being...being..." _For being what?_

"You're partner?" Booth proffered.

"My friend. Maybe…" She looked at him meaningfully. "Maybe you are a little more than that. Maybe I…" She took a deep breath. "This is hard for me to say."

"I know." He knew what she was about to say, and his heart was about to beat out of his chest with excitement. He wanted so badly to say those three words to her, but she was struggling within herself, that was what needed to be dealt with first.

"Angela thinks it's because I'm scared." She said finally unable to get the words out of her throat.

"Are you? Scared?" Booth held off his disappointment long enough to get an explanation.

"I don't…yes. I'm scared of being hurt. I don't like pain." She smiled bitterly and gestured toward her head where a large bandage covered part of her forehead.

"Bones." Booth moved and sat across from her on the coffee table, and took one of her hands with one of his, tracing circles on her palm with his thumb.

"I would never hurt you."

Brennen nodded quickly. "I know. I know that. But, if we became…you could. You would know how and you could. Even without meaning to." She stopped, unsure of what to say next.

"Temperance." Booth sighed heavily. "I wouldn't do that. I don't do a lot of things I'm capable of doing."

"Like what?"

"Like…like take Parker for instance. You know his mom never wanted me really around. I could have just walked away, avoided all the pain and irritation and fights. But I didn't. I could have had a very different life than what I've got, but I stayed because I love him. And I wouldn't trade away a single moment I've had with my son. Love and pain kind of go hand in hand, Bones, but more often than not, it's worth it."

She didn't look entirely convinced.

"Besides, is being vulnerable really that bad?"

She narrowed her eyes at him, her mouth slightly open with suprise. Did he really want her to be one of those weak damsels' in distress who always needed saving?

_Is that how he sees me?_

"I don't need a knight in FBI standard-issue body armor Booth." She snapped, rising from the couch and started toward the door, though neither of them thought she would actually leave.

"Bones." He read her mind and moved to follow her. "You re the strongest, smartest, most independent woman I've ever met, and I love that about you." He took her by the waist and turned her to look straight into those unyielding, glassy blue-gray eyes.

"And I would never ask you to give any of that up." Brennen relaxed, "But it's kind of nice, ya' know?"

"What's nice?"

"To come home after a long day and be able to let down you're guard and just relax." He dropped his head to gather his thoughts.

"I mean, I know it's a risk," He spoke to the floor, "but, I'm not worried about risks. And I've known you long enough to know you hardly ever," he smiled and looked up at her, "give risks a second thought. But Bones, I also know that the one risk I'm not willing to take is to look back on my life forty years from now and wonder what might have been."

"But, Booth…" Brennen looked into his eyes and the compassion in them frightened her. She pulled away again and walked toward the window, the oranges and reds of sunset bathing her skin. She closed her eyes. Why was she finding it so hard to complete sentences all of a sudden?

"Bones," he put his hands on his hips, studying the glowing outline on her form. "Did you ever see The Titanic?"

She nodded and turned back around to face him, slightly confused at the change in subject matter. "Yes. I helped identify some of the remains they bought up from the wreckage before the salvage was halted because of..."

Booth smiled, realizing he should have anticipated that answer.

"No, Bones, I mean the movie. Did you ever see the movie The Titanic?"

"Why would there be a movie about such a horrific tragedy?"

"I don't…Bones, that's beside the point. It's a love story, and there is this line the guy says to the girl near the end. Something he says to let her know that he'll never leave her."

As they spoke, Booth had slowly been closing the distance between them. They now stood almost toe-to-toe and he reached out and pushed some of her auburn hair behind her ear.

"I never took you for the 'love movie' type Seeley." She said, her voice matching the softness in her face.

Booth tilted his head to the side in reaction to her use of his given name.

"Yea well, I wasn't exactly a willing viewer." He gave a small smile, which Brennen returned.

"Okay, so what's the line?"

"You jump, I jump."

Brennen just furrowed her brows in confusion and made a move to get away from the window. Booth held back a smile and hooked his fingers in the belt loops of her jeans to keep her close. "If you're willing to take this leap Temperance, I'm willing to jump with you. I'll be right beside you, and like it or not, I'll catch you if you start to fall."

Brennen brought her eyes up to him slowly and interlaced her fingers with one of his hands. Booth stared into her face, unable to move while she thought over what he'd said. She bit her bottom lip and looked at their fingers. Her small white hands against his large, rough ones. She smiled.

Why was it that all her fears were brought on and brushed away simply by Booth's touch? She looked up into his eyes, so full of hope and care. Could it be possible to stay the independent woman she was and still collapse into his arms at the end of the day?

Booth opened his mouth to say something and she closed it with her own. His lips were warm and soft. She let go of his hands and put her arm around his neck and shoulders. Leaning into him, she found herself suddenly annoyed by her inability to use her right arm.

Booth forgot what he was about to say when Bones suddenly kissed him, but he immediately kissed her back, afraid if he didn't he'd wake up and find himself in his bedroom, alone. He placed one hand on her waist, pulling her closer, so aware of how much smaller she was than he, and feeling waves of anticipation cloud over his mind and body. He pushed his other hand into her hair, cradling her head carefully.

The few moments that were an eternity in the making, felt like an eternity within themselves, but Booth did finally break the electricity flowing through them. She was growing more hungry, pushing herself into him, and he was painfully aware of how much he wanted to continue, but he couldn't. She was still in pain, and not just from her physical injuries.

"Slowly Temperance." He whispered in her ear. "Slowly."

She nodded laying her head on his chest, she felt his heart beating fast and smiled at the effect she had on him. After a few moments she became aware of how heavy her legs and head felt.

She whispered, "I'm tired."

Booth started to pull his cell phone out of his pocket, straining not to disturb her body resting against him. "You want me to call Angela for you?"

She shook her head and moved away from him so she could slump onto the couch, laying her head on the cushion next to her. He smiled.

"You weren't kidding."

She opened her weary eyes and sat up slightly to bring the blanket down from off the back of the couch. "Are you going to sit or not?"

He did. And she grabbed a pillow from beside her and laid it on his lap, and then proceeded to lay her head on it, covering herself with the blanket.

"Comfortable?" He tried to sound annoyed, but it merely came out as amused.

"Yes, thank you."

Before too long her breathing evened out with sleep and he pulled the blanket back over her feet where she'd kicked it off.

Even two hours later he still didn't feel tired, Angela had called, asking about Bones, and he told her that she would stay the night.

"Not like that Angela, come on, tell me you think more of me than that…yes…I know…I'll make sure she takes them…Okay…thanks Angela." He softly closed the phone and put it back on the table.

The room was filled with flashing blue light from the TV where a basketball game was on with the sound muted. Thoughts of Parker and his new relationship with Bones played over and over in his mind. His lips and fingers were still tingling from her touch and the only thing that kept him from going everywhere at once was the sight of her head, there in his lap.

Her features were soft and relaxed, so vulnerable and innocent in her sleep. He felt oddly proud and flattered that she'd finally allowed him to be that person for her. The one she ran to when she was scared. The one around whom she allowed her guard to come down. The one she trusted with not only her life, but her heart as well.

He became aware of a presence to his left and looked over quickly. Parker stood silently by the arm of the couch staring at him, holding a blanket in one hand and a plush Buzz Lightyear doll in the other.

"Hey bub." Booth said quietly, "You alright?"

Parker's golden curls shook from side to side and his chin started to quiver.

"I had a bad dream." A few stray tears escaped his brown eyes.

Booth nodded, he wasn't surprised by this answer, it was to be expected after the traumatic events he'd been through. "Okay. Okay, c'mere buddy." He raised his arm and Parker crawled onto the couch, snuggling up close to his father. Booth wrapped his arm around Parker's small body protectively and kissed him on the top of the head.

"Is that Bones?" Parker whispered.

"Yea. She came to talk and fell asleep on me. Can you believe that?" Booth joked to hid the concern in his voice.

Parker didn't smile, just stared up at his father with big eyes. "She was in my dream. Those men were hurting her again. They were going to hurt me too." Parker's voice shook, but he held back tears with a strength beyond his years.

Booth pursed his lips, anger bubbling in his stomach as he hugged his son once more. "Parker, I promise you, nothing bad is going to happen to you anymore. I'll protect you. You understand?" Booth whispered urgently.

Parker nodded.

"Okay." Booth sighed and reached foreword to grab the remote from the coffee table. "What do you want to watch?"

"Spongebob." Parker relaxed against his father's arm, believing every word Booth had said.

Booth rolled his eyes, knowing Parker couldn't see it. He hated that stupid little yellow square. "Okay."

By the second commercial, Parker was already snoring, the rush of being allowed the privilege of TV after bedtime having worn off.

It was nearing ten o'clock when Booth finally started to succumb to sleep. That was when he heard mumbling in the room.

He opened his eyes and looked down. Brennen's face was painted with fear and rage, tears streaming out the corners of her eyes. She threw her head back and forth sporatically, messing up the blanket that had been covering her so nicely.

_She's dreaming about it._

Booth pulled his arm down off the back of the couch and rubbed her back gently.

"Shhhhh. Temperance, it's okay. I'm right here." He whispered, glancing at Parker, finding that he was still snoring undisturbed. "You're okay Bones."

After a moment Brennen stopped moving and her face softened.

He sighed, revieved that she'd come by that night, he hated the thought of her having to be alone through all of this.

Booth had been stroking her head softly for a few minutes before the sounds finally escaped his lips. They seemed to echo off the walls in the silence, and he was surprised at how easy it was to say them out loud.

He looked down. He could have sworn he just saw her smile. After a few seconds of observing her face closely he found no change in it and he decided he'd imagined the expression. Pulling the blanket over her feet once more, he went back to staring out the window where the world had turned into a shaken snow-globe.

_Love you too Seeley._ Temperance quickly wiped the smile off her face and tried hard not to move, not wanting him to know she'd heard him say it. His clothes rustled as he turned away and she pulled the blanket up to her chin, exposing her feet once more. And once more Booth reached over to rectify the situation.

Around midnight Booth finally let sleep take him, knowing that the two people he held most dear were there at his sides, safe and warm.

Parker, curled up to his left, clinging to his Buzz Lightyear doll with nothing but the blonde top of his head poking out from under his blanket.

Bones on his right, her head in his lap and a small smile on her lips.

_Yea, we're all going to be okay._ Booth thought before his mind finally shut down, _We're going to be just fine._

THE END

**_That's it. Thank you so much to everyone who read this and I'm glad you all liked it! Look out for more fics by me because believe you me...there are_ definitly _more. lol._ **


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